Department of Health Sciences
Physician Associate/Assistant
The Health Sciences Major may be used as a pre-professional curriculum for students wishing to apply to a Physicians Associate program. The OU Health Sciences Center offers a 30 month program divided into basic science and clinical clerkship phases.
The program considers applicants with a previous bachelor's degree in an appropriate field of study or those with 90 or more hours of college work. Service and/or experience in health care is recommended.
SWOSU students may choose the Health Sciences Major to complete these 90 hours at SWOSU or obtain their degree in Health Sciences at SWOSU before applying to the Physician Associate Program.
Profession
The Physician Associate (Assistant) is academically and clinically prepared to practice medicine with the supervision of a licensed Doctor of Medicine or Osteopathy. Within this relationship, Physician Associates provide a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic services. Physician Associates practice is centered on patient care and may include educational, research, and administrative activities
Employment
The majority of Physician Associates practice in ambulatory care settings as well as hospitals, managed care organizations, rural and urban clinics, correctional facilities and other settings.
Curriculum/Accreditation
The Physician Associate course work in the OU College of Medicine is 30 months in duration divided into basic science and clinical clerkship phases. The basic science phase is 18 months in length. The remaining 12 months are devoted to clinical clerkships. In Oklahoma, the Physician Associate must be certified to practice by the Oklahoma State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision, the same agency that licenses physicians. There is also a national certifying examination that has been developed by the National Board of Medical Examiners and is administered by the National Commission of the Certification of Physician Assistants. Successful completion of the examination is required to practice in Oklahoma. To maintain national certification, the Physician Associate must complete 100 hours of Continuing Medical Education every two years and be reexamined every six years.
| Course Requirement Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Required Courses | Credit Hrs | Career Links | |||
| General Education | 43-44 hrs | ||||
| Degree Specific |
30 hrs | ||||
| Electives | |||||
| Minimum Hours Required for degree | 120 hrs | ||||
| Approximately 8 Semesters | |||||
NOTE:
For students who enrolled at SWOSU before Fall 2004, download Course Sequence here.
